Agreement reached in principle with south Africa for visas to be waived

Yesterday Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Turkey has reached an agreement with South Africa to mutually waive visa requirements and increase bilateral visits, with an aim toward enriching diplomatic and trade ties, as he announced plans for a visit to South Africa by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the coming months. “We have placed a great deal of importance on our relations with South Africa in recent years,” the Anatolia news agency quoted Davutoglu as saying, as he explained that the countries had agreed in principle to facilitate visa liberalization and that the technical work to conclude the visa waiver was in progress. Acknowledging the growing importance Turkey places in South Africa, the minister stated that the country was becoming more powerful both within Africa and in the international arena. “We have once more renewed our agreement in principle, by which our countries act as strategic partners in international projects and mutually cooperate both in Africa and Eurasia,” Davutoglu said.